How would you like to have been born without any ability to feel pain? There are such people. One of them is being studied by doctors at a hospital in New York City. He is a 22-year-old clerk who really does not know the meaning of pain. But he wishes he did.

   Not long ago a packet of matches flared up(骤然烧起) in his hand. Luckily the burn was not serious. It caused large blisters(水泡)but still did not bother him. He said the burn felt like a fly crawling(在...上爬行) on his fingers. It has been the same story as far back as he can remember. He has never had headaches or sore(疼痛的) muscles. Bee stings, cuts and bruises(疼痛的) do not hurt.

   Being free from pain is not as wonderful as you may think. The young man has had to have rotted teeth pulled because he never felt toothache warnings. A sudden attack of appendicitis(阑尾炎) could be deadly. Life without pain is as risky as trying to run a cruise ship without fire alarms.

1. In the final sentence, the writer uses “fire alarms” to mean

   A.loud noises that a person hears              B.a signal that something is wrong 

   C.heat warnings                             D.the ability to smell smoke

2. The selection as a whole points to the fact that

   A.fire can cause serious injuries              B.life is happier without pain

   C.teeth can be pulled painlessly               D. pain serves a useful purpose

3. The young man had to have teeth pulled because

   A.he did not know his teeth were decaying   B.he did not take care of his teeth properly

   C.he did not like to visit the dentist         D.he was born with soft teeth

   When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, clothes and cars.

   A true friendship carries a long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want--- an end to the relationship.

   The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended. First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open. Second, apologize when you’re wrong ---- even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit(承认) that he has been wrong. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships. My suggestion: consider friendship as an honor and a gift, and worth the effort to treasure and nurture(培养).

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

  A. Easy Ways to Make Friends.             B. Ups and Downs in Friendship

  C. How to Mend a Troubled Friendship       D. How to Take the Lead in Making Friends

5. The “wronged person” underlined in the passage refers to a person __________.

  A. who has been mistaken for another        B. who has been blamed unfairly

  C. who has treated friends badly             D. who has admitted his mistakes

6. According to the passage, a friendship can be long only if __________.

  A. we have much in common                B. we know our friends’ mistakes

  C. We treat our disagreements wisely         D. we have known one another her desires

7. What should we do if we follow the author’s second suggestion?

  A. Make an apology first                    B. Avoid making mistakes

  C. Stick to our own points of view           D. Change our lifestyles.

   Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you’ll hear people say that you can’t expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you’ve got to love yourself first and this can be tricky( 狡猾的). Sure we all know that we’re the apple of our parents’ eyes, and that our Grandmas think we’re great talents(天才) and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics. But sometimes it’s a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.

   Self-image is your own mind’s picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world.

   The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don’t allow doubts to occur in it.

   It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can’t move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task. If you think you’re silly because you aren’t good at math, find a tutor. If you think you’re weak because you can’t run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you’re dull because you don’t wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, although you think it is so, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

   The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective(客观的), and to actively convince(客观的) yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting(提升) a positive self-image. When you can pat(拍) yourself on the back, you’ll know you’re well on your way. Good luck!

8. You need to build a positive self-image when you _________.

A. dare to challenge yourself                   B. feel it hard to change yourself

C. are not confident about yourself           D. have a high opinion of yourself

9. How should you change your self-image according to the passage?

A. To keep a different image of others.         B. To make your life successful.

C. To understand your own world.                  D. To change the way you think.

10. What is the passage mainly about?

A. How to prepare for your success.                 B. How to face challenges in your life.

C. How to build a positive self-image.           D. How to develop your good qualities.

11. Who are the intended readers of the passage?

A. Parents.         B. Adolescents.         C. Educators.     D. People in general.

  Electrical devices (仪器) could soon use power made by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking. British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.

   The device connects to a person's knee. As the person walks, the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this, the device helps with the slowing down movement of the leg. The movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.

   There are several possible uses for the device. Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also be used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers (起搏器). It could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.

   The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy. But the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version. An improved version should be ready in one year.

   The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries. Nearly twenty-five percent of people around the world live without electric power.

   A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania. He created a bag carried on a person's back that also produces power from walking. The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag. But the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.

12. The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.

     A. who developed the device

     B. how the device works

     C. several possible uses for the devices

     D. how much electricity the device can produce

13. What is the disadvantage of the experimental version of the device?

    A. It is too heavy for the walker to bear.

    B. It is too complex for people to use.

    C. It will slow down one's walking speed.

    D. It is too expensive for most people to afford.

14. Compared with the device designed by Larry Rome, this new device _______.

    A. produces power without adding more loads to the walker

    B. can produce more power in a much shorter time

    C. needs to be equipped with a battery

    D. can help the walker walk faster

15. From the passage, we can learn that the electrical device can _______.

    A. help housewives operate the micro-wave oven

    B. make it much easier for us to go online

    C. produce more electricity than that invented by Larry Rome

    D. be applied in medicine to operate heart pacemakers

Food safety is a problem in all places around the world and people in different areas of the world prepare foods in different ways. The WHO released (发布) five simple rules for preparing food in a safe way. They call these rules the “Five Keys to Safer Food”.

Key 1: Keep clean

   16   . People should wash their hands often — before touching food and while they are preparing food. People should wash all surfaces and equipment used for preparing food.

Key 2: Separate raw (生的) and cooked

Raw foods should not touch prepared foods.    17   .

Key 3:     18    

People should cook eggs and meat especially carefully. These foods may carry more micro-organisms (微生物) than other foods. Food like soup must be boiled for at least a minute to make it be cooked completely. It is also important that people re-heat cooked food completely.

Key 4: Keep food at safe temperatures

When people are finished with eating, they should keep the left food in a refrigerator below 5℃ and shouldn’t store it for too long. At room temperature, about 20℃, the amount of micro-organisms can increase very quickly. But temperatures above 60℃or below 5℃control the growth of micro-organisms.    19   .

Key 5: Use safe water and raw materials

   20   . Damaged or old food may develop harmful chemicals as it gets older.

A. Eat healthily

B. Cook completely

C. They can live where we make food

D. This key tells about the importance of washing

E. People should use safe water and choose fresh foods

F. They cannot grow as quickly in a very hot or very cold environment

G. People should use separate equipment and tools for touching and preparing raw foods